Tester and packer



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J. LITOLFF STER AND PACKER Filed July 29, 1939 Patented Nov. 26, 1940PATENT OFFICE ras'raa AND PACKER Osmond Joseph Litolfl, Metairie, La.,assignor to Oil Well Tools, Inc., New Orleans, La., a corporation ofLouisiana Application July 29, 1939, Serial No. 287,417

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in testers or samplers forcasings, formations and the like, and to packers for such testers andfor other purposes.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a deviceoisimple construction which may be readily operated to make tests ofcasings and formations.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a testing deviceof this character with v packing means associated therewith.

Other objects and'advanta'ges of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the drawing, which forms a part of this specification and whereinlike characters of reference denote like parts throughout,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a device embodyingthis invention,

Figure 2'is a similar view showing the device in testing position withthe packer expanded, and showing the plunger mechanism in section,Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the testing valveand valve operating mechanism, and,

- end but spaced therefrom. A central opening l5 Figure '4 is atransverse section on line 6-4 of Figure 2.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral Ill designates theelongated cylinder of the tool, provided at its upper end with packingll held in place and expanded by means of a cap l2 screw threadedlyattached to the upper end of the cylinder. The lower end of cylinder inis provided with a reduced tubular extension l3 having a wall I adjacentits lower in the wall l4 receives a valve operating rod to behereinafter described. The lower end of cylinder extension I3 isinternally and externally screwthreaded.

A packer sleeve I6 is disposed about the cylinder extension l3 having athreaded connection to the lower end thereof and abuts against thebottom of cylinder l0. An expansible packing element ll, of rubber orother suitable material is connected to the removable sleeve H5 at theupper and lower ends thereof. A series of openlugs 18 in extension l3and sleeve l6 connect the interior of sleeve l6 with the interior ofpacking element IT.

A valve casing is has a reduced threaded boss 20 disposed centrally ofits upper end and adapted to be received in the lower end of extensionl3. Suitable packing material 2| is disposed in the lower end ofextension l3 between wall I4 and boss 20, and a central opening in boss20 corresponds with opening I5 in wall M. A transverse wall 22, ofsubstantial thickness, is disposed substantially midway of the valvecasing l3 and is provided with a central valve seat 23 in its lowerside. Valve seat 23 is preferably cylindrical at its lower end and itswalls converge upwardly to a point adjacent the top of wall 22. Anopening 24 extends from the top of the wall 22 into valve seat 23, itswalls tapering downwardly to the top of the valve seat.

A threaded disk 25 is removably threaded to the lower inner portion ofthe valve casing l9 and is spaced a substantial distance below wall 22.Suitable openings 26 in disk 25 permit the passage of fluid therethroughwhile a central opening slidably receives a valve stem 21 having a valvehead 26 with upwardly converging walls adapted to seat in valve seat 23and seal the upper chamber of valve casing l9 from the lower chamberthereof. A coil spring 29 surrounds -valve stem 21, engaging the top ofdisk 25 and pressing against a washer 30 held in Place on stem 27 bymeans of a pin 3| carried by the valve stem. A flange 32, which may beremovable, is

secured to the lower end of stem 21. It will be seen that spring 23normally presses valve head 28 upwardly into the valve seat 23.

An elongated, perforated tube or screen 33 is closed at its lower end bya removable cap 34 and has a diameter substantially less than valvecasing 19., A tapered connection 35 is threaded to the lower end ofeasing l3 and to the upper end of screen 33, serving to connect theperforated screen 32 through openings 26 in disk 25 to the lower chamberof valve casing IS.

A pistonrod 36 is detachably connected at its upper end by threads orthe like to the lower end of the drill stem, pipe or operating member31, and is provided at its lower end with a piston 36 snugly fitting theinner walls of cylinder I II. A central bore 39 extends completelythrough the rod 36 and piston 38 and is internally threaded at its-lowerend to adiustably receive the threaded upper end of a valve operatingrod'or plunger 43. Plunger 40 has its lower end provided with asubstantially conical tip 4| adapted to extend through opening 24 andinto valve seat 23 to unseat valve head 23. A small bore 42 extends fromthe top of plunger 43 to the tip thereof,

branching at its lower end to the tapered sides a extension l3 in spacedrelatio of the plunger tip immediately adjacent the lower end or pointthereof. When the plunger tip 4| is seated in opening 24, the boreoutlets 43 are disposed in' the valve 'seat23, as seen in Figure 3, toform communication between the lower valve chamber and the drill pipe 31through bores 42 and 33. l

Plunger. extends from cylinders l0, through to the walls thereof,through opening I! inw l I 4, packing 2i and boss 20 into the uppervalvechamber. A suitable fluid 44 is arranged in cylinder l3, below thepiston, in extension 13 and packing element Ill.

When asample is to be taken, the tool is lowered into the well, hole orcasing by means of pipes 31, the valve 23 being closed and plunger 40being disposed out of contact with the valve. When the bottom of screentube 33 contacts the bottom of the well, downward movement ofscreen 33,.casing i3 and cylinder i3 is stopped. but piston 38 andplunger 43continue to move downwardly. The movement of piston 33 relative tocylinderll'i forces fluid 34 out through openings l8 into packingelement l1, expanding packing element i1 against the walls of-the casingor well and preventing passage of fluid past the packing element l1.Further downward movement of piston 33 forces plunger tip 4| intoopening 24, thereby unseating valve head 23, as seen in Figures 2 and 3,and permitting fluid in the well or casing to pass from screen 33 andthe lower valve chamber up through bore'42 oi the plunger to bore 33 ofthe piston and then into the pipe 31. When the-pipe 31 is raised, valve23 first closes preventing escape oi fluid from pipe 31, and furtherupward movement releases pressure in packer l1, permitting the tool tobe raised with the pipe 31 and fluid sample. The amount packer I1 isexpanded before valve 23 is unseated may .be regulated by adjusting thethreaded connection between plunger 40 and piston 33.

It will be seen that the action of the packing element l1 and valve 23is entirely automatic. The. packer l1 must expand and close'the well orcasing before valve 23 is opened, and spring 23 Y to without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subloined claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim anddesire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. In a sampling device, a tool body, an ex.

pansible packing element carried by said tool body, there beingasampling chamber in said tool body, a valve normally closing saidvcham- .said valve.

ber, and a plunger mechanism associated with said tool body and having astroke which first expands said packing element and then opens 2. In asampling device, a pansible hydraulic packing element carried by saidtool body, there being a sampling chamber in said tool body, avalve-normally closing said chamber, and a plunger mechanism movablelongitudinally of said tool body to expand said pack- 10 mg element andthen open said valve.

3. In a sampling device a hydraulic cylinder.

an expansible hydraulic packing element assopacking element, and wherebyfurther movement of said plunger will force the valve operating .memberinto engagement with the valve to un- 25 seat the valve. I v

4. Ina samplingdcvice, a hydraulic cylinder, an expansiblehydraulic'packing elementassociated with said cylinder, a sampling valvecasing carried by said cylinder, a valve in said 30 casingwhich isnormally seated, a plunger mechanism slidably disposed in said cylinderand having a valve operating member extending into said valve casing inllnewith and spaced from said valve, whereby movement of said plungermechanism willforce fluid under pressure from said cylinder into saidpacking element to expand the packing element, and whereby furthermovement of said plunger will force the valve operating member intoengagement with the valve to 40 unseat the valve, and. means to vary theeffective length of the valve operating member.

' 5. In a sampling device, a tool body having a valve casing therein,said casing having openings to admit fluid, a valve seat in said casing,a valve 45 normally disposed in said valve seat, a sampling tube, aplunger mechanism connected to said sampling tube and extending throughsaid toolbody and into said valve casing in line with the valve seat,said plunger mechanism having a 0 .bore connecting the tube with the endof the plunger in the valve casing, whereby movement of the plunger-mechanism through said tool body will force the plunger endginto thevalve seat to unseat the valve and'place the sampling 55 tube incommunication with the fluid in the valve casing, an expansible packingelement carried by said tool body, and means operated by the initialmovement of the plunger mechanism to expandthe packing element beforeunseating 00 the valve.

6. In a sampling device, a hydraulic cylinder, an Yexpansible hydraulicpacking element carried by said cylinder and communicating therewith, avalve casing associated with said cylln- 05 der and having a valve seattherein, aspring pressed valve normally disposed in said valve seat, theportion of the valve casing, below the valve-being in communication withthe fluid to be sampled. a tube, a piston connected to said 70 tube andslldably arranged in the cylinder, and a valve operating plunger carriedbythe piston in line with the valve seat and normally spaced therefrom,there being a bore connecting the end of the plunger through the plungerand piston 75 tool body, an ex- 5' with the tube, whereby movement ofthe piston and plunger towards the valve seat will force fluid underpressure into said packing element and then force the end 01' theplunger into the valve seat to unseat the valve and permit the fluid tobe sampled to pass through the plunger and piston into the tube.

7. In a sampling device, a hydraulic cylinder, an expansible hydraulicpacking element carried by said cylinder and communicating therewith, avalve casing associated with said cylinder and having a valve seattherein, a spring pressed valve normally disposed in said valve seat,the portion of the valve casing below the I valve being in communicationwith the fluid to be sampled, a tube, a piston connected to said tubeand slidably arranged in the cylinder, a valve operating plunger carriedby the piston in line with the valve seat and normally spaced therefrom,there being a bore connecting the end of the plunger through the plungerand piston with the tube, whereby movement of the piston and plungertowards the valve seat will force fluid under pressure into said packingelement and then force the end of the plunger into the valve seat tounseat the valve and permit the fluid to be sampled to pass through theplunger and piston into the tube, and means to vary the efiective lengthof the plunger to control the amount the packing element is expandedbefore the valve is opened.

OSMOND JOSEPH LITOLFF.

